WordPress.com and WordPress.org are not the same thing
WordPress.org is the free, open-source software you can install on any host. WordPress.com is a hosted service run by Automattic that uses that software but controls the environment: on the free and lower plans you can't install your own plugins or themes, can't edit the code, and your site lives on their servers under their terms. Self-hosted WordPress means WordPress.org on hosting you choose, with full control of plugins, themes, code and data.
People move for one of three reasons: they've hit the plugin or theme wall on WordPress.com, they want to own the site and its data outright, or the WordPress.com plan that unlocks what they need costs more than good hosting would. The software is identical, so a well-done move changes nothing the visitor can see.
What you need before you start
- Hosting for the new site with one-click WordPress installed and a staging or temporary address you can build on privately. Our managed WordPress hosting gives you that, and we'll do the move with you.
- Your domain's login at wherever it's registered. If the domain was bought through WordPress.com, you'll either keep it there and repoint the DNS, or transfer it out; both work, transfer takes longer.
- A list of everything the site does beyond posts and pages: forms, newsletter signups, ecommerce, custom fonts, embedded media, and any WordPress.com-only features such as their stats or subscriber emails.
- Admin access to the WordPress.com dashboard for the export.
Moving from WordPress.com to your own hosting is a content and service migration. Start by identifying what you need to retain: posts, pages, media, design, domain, email and any paid features. An export file is not a promise that every part of the hosted service transfers automatically.
Export the content
Use WordPress.com's export tools and keep a copy before making changes. Its export documentation explains the content export and media options. The content export does not include the theme design, customisations or plugins as a complete site image. Check any additional migration tools available for your specific plan separately.
Prepare and import at the destination
Set up WordPress on the new hosting and keep the preview private. Import the exported content using the appropriate WordPress importer. Check that the media files actually arrived at the destination and aren't still links to the old site. If an import is too large, ask the host for a supported import process; repeatedly raising server limits is the slow way round.
Choose and configure the destination theme. Compare representative pages, menus and forms, and rebuild any features the export does not carry. Test logins, search, media and mobile layouts before moving the public address.
Preserve the domain and page paths
If you keep a custom domain, preserve working page paths wherever possible and plan the DNS change. If the public domain or article paths change, map the old URLs to the matching new destinations. Check the current redirect options for your WordPress.com setup; a domain registration transfer and a website redirect are different operations.
Keep mail records intact when email stays with its existing provider. Our nameserver guide explains why changing the website does not necessarily mean changing the DNS provider.
Check after launch
Verify important old URLs, images, forms and HTTPS. Check canonical tags and the sitemap on the public site, remove the destination's staging indexing restriction and retain access to the source until the transfer is confirmed. Compare visits and errors after the move rather than judging success from the homepage alone.
Our UK WordPress hosting includes free migration. Send the team your source address and the features you use so we can agree what transfers and what needs rebuilding before scheduling it.
The order that avoids downtime
- Set up the new site on a temporary address and import the content while the WordPress.com site stays live.
- Choose the theme, rebuild anything the export didn't carry, and check the media actually copied across.
- Set up redirects for any URL paths that changed, and install an SEO plugin to confirm the sitemap and titles.
- Lower the domain's DNS TTL a day ahead, then point the domain at the new host.
- Keep the WordPress.com site in place for a couple of weeks (set to private once DNS has settled), then close it.
WordPress.com to WordPress.org FAQs
Are WordPress.org and WordPress.com the same?
They use the same software. WordPress.org is the software itself, free to install anywhere. WordPress.com is a company's hosted version of it with restrictions that depend on the plan you pay for. A self-hosted site is WordPress.org on your own hosting.
Is WordPress.org still free?
Yes. The software is open source and free. You pay for hosting, a domain and any premium plugins or themes you choose. Managed WordPress hosting here starts at £6.99 a month ex VAT.
Will I lose my subscribers?
WordPress.com's email subscribers can be exported and imported into a self-hosted newsletter plugin or service, but they don't move automatically with the content export. Export the subscriber list separately before you close the old site.
How do I move a WordPress site between two hosts?
That's a different job from leaving WordPress.com: a host-to-host move copies the whole installation, database included, rather than exporting content. Our guide to moving a website without downtime covers it, and we do it free when you move to us.
Hosting that keeps up
We move your sites free and credit what you have paid.
Staged, tested and moved by our UK team, with switch credit up to £100 per qualifying account.
